Zimmerman to be charged

Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey plans to announce as early as Wednesday afternoon that she is charging neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in the shooting of Trayvon Martin, according to a law enforcement official close to the investigation.

It was not immediately clear what charge Zimmerman will face.

Martin, 17 and unarmed, was shot and killed Feb. 26 by Zimmerman, who said he was acting in self-defense. Police in Sanford, Fla., where the shooting took place, did not charge Zimmerman, citing the state’s “stand your ground” law.

Corey told reporters Tuesday night that she would hold a news conference about the case within 72 hours. A news release from her office said the event will be held in Sanford or Jacksonville, Fla.

Benjamin Crump, who is representing the Martin family, said this week that Corey’s office had asked where Trayvon’s parents would be each day this week. They arrived Wednesday in Washington for a civil rights conference organized by the Rev. Al Sharpton, where they are scheduled to speak.

The announcement of a charge against Zimmerman would come a day after Zimmerman’s attorneys withdrew from the case, citing their inability to contact Zimmerman.

Lawyers Craig Sonner and Hal Uhrig on Tuesday expressed concern about Zimmerman’s emotional and physical well-being, saying he has taken actions without consulting them. They also said they do not know where Zimmerman is.

“You can stop looking in Florida,” Uhrig told reporters. “Look much further away than that.”

Corey said Monday that she would not bring the case before a grand jury, which was expected to convene this week. She said her decision to forgo the grand jury should not be viewed as a factor in determining whether charges will be filed.

Corey has indicated in recent weeks that she might not need a grand jury to bring charges against Zimmerman.

The lawyers said they stand by their assertions that Zimmerman acted in self-defense when he killed the 17-year-old, who was unarmed, but they acknowledged that they formed their impressions without meeting Zimmerman.

I really feel for him. Really. It must be awful being him. Killing a guy and then, OMG, being charged for it? Forced to flee? Horrible. Poor poor Georgie boy. Maybe I'll go donate on his website. *barfs*

Gosh, imagine not being able to safely walk to the corner store for a beverage. What does that remind me of?

It would be fantastic if at the moment the feds find him he's walking down the street carrying a Coke and a bag of M&Ms. Even better if he goes for his gun but the slight encumbrance is what prevents him from successfully shooting anyone else before they take him down.

What those Zimmerman supporter fuckheads aren't acknowledging is that he brought all of this upon himself. No one was forcing him to "patrol" his neighborhood with a gun. No one forced him to confront Trayvon. We all have choices in life; Zimmerman chose to do all of these things himself. I have no fucking sympathy for him at all -- even if Trayvon bloodied him up a little.

I used to be a hardcore road rager until I got into a physical confrontation with another driver. After it was all done, I asked myself, "Why the hell did you do that?" I had a choice of whether to get angry and do something stupid or to brush it off. I still feel the road rage burn on occasion, but the difference now is that I choose to think before I react -- not vice versa.